Users of high speed page printers, both of laser and conventional type, and users of high speed office copiers, spend a substantial amount of time unwrapping reams of wrapped cut singles before placing them in a printer or photocopier. There are further disadvantages associated with ream wrapping: ream wrapping the paper requires ream wrap machines which have a substantial capital cost; the paper wrap itself has a substantial cost and may not be readily recyclable in offices which merely recycle conventional white paper; and there is a power cost for wrapping the reams.
Users of cut single sheets also wish to be able to quickly lift out a handful of sheets from a carton to place in a printing or photocopying machine, and many users desire a reusable carton made of recyclable material, preferably of only one type (that is not plastic bands or plastic wraps), but at the same time need to protect the cut sheets from edge damage, dust, dirt and moisture penetration.
According to the present invention carton components which fulfill these desired objectives are provided. Also, according to the present invention a method of packaging a stack of paper in a cardboard carton is provided, as well as apparatus for practicing that method.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a combination of cut paper sheets packaged in a cardboard carton is provided. The combination comprises: At least one thousand cut unwrapped sheets of paper of the same length and width, provided in a stack having a stack height. A cardboard carton packaging the sheets and allowing ready dispensing therefrom, the carton comprising: first and second channel shaped side walls, each formed by a base and a pair of legs substantially perpendicular to the base, the legs of the channels facing each other, and the channels each having a first height greater than the stack height; a bottom panel; first and second end flaps having a second height less than half of the first height; the bases of the channel shaped sides and the end flaps integral with the bottom panel; and fastener means for holding the end flaps to the channel legs to form a carton with an open top and primarily open ends and substantially closed sides.
The fastener means for holding the end flaps to the channel legs preferably comprise adhesive disposed on the inside faces of the side flaps. A user of the cut paper sheets may reach into the primarily open ends of the cardboard carton and remove any desired number of sheets, while the carton protects the edges of the sheets, and is reusable, and is substantially entirely of recyclable material. The bases of the channel shaped sides and end flaps may be connected to the bottom panel by lines of weakness (e.g. perforations).
While the carton as described above may be packaged merely by providing plastic straps around the side walls, or a plastic wrap around the entire carton, preferably it comprises a carton bottom, and a cardboard carton lid is associated with the cardboard carton bottom and cut sheets. An exemplary cardboard carton lid may comprise the following elements: Closed first through fourth sides. A Z-fold closure top. An open bottom. And panel extensions of at least two of the sides, each extension comprising first and second parallel lines of weakness and a removable strip between them, and a bottom fastening section, below the lines of weakness, having sufficient dimension to be securely attached to a carton bottom. A pull tab may be associated with the removable strip, and either two opposite extensions, or four extensions, may be provided.
While the carton lid and carton bottom combination as described above is particularly suited for packaging of cut paper sheets, it may also be utilized to package wrapped reams, or continuous form paper, even though some of the advantages of the invention are thereby compromised.
The invention also relates to a method of packaging a stack of paper in a cardboard carton having a bottom with an open top. The method comprises the steps of automatically: (a) Providing the paper in a stack having a height at least as great as the depth of the carton bottom. (b) Providing the carton bottom over the stack of paper so that the open top of the carton bottom faces downwardly. (c) Rotating the carton bottom with paper stack therein, approximately 180.degree. about a horizontal axis so that the open top of the carton bottom faces upwardly. And (d) securing a covering on the carton bottom so that the paper is held within the carton bottom.
Step (b) may be practiced in one of two ways: by forming the Cardboard carton bottom so that its top faces upwardly, automatically grasping an exterior portion of the carton, rotating the carton bottom 180.degree. about the horizontal axis, and pushing the carton bottom over the paper in the stack; or by placing a cardboard blank for construction of the cardboard carton bottom over the top of the paper in the stack, applying adhesive to selected portions of the blank, and deforming the blank so that it forms the carton bottom over the stack of paper, and is held in place by the adhesive.
Step (a) is preferably practiced by providing at least a thousand unwrapped cut sheets of paper. Step (d) is preferably practiced by placing a cardboard carton lid, having an open bottom, over the open top of the carton bottom, and securing the carton top to the carton bottom with adhesive and is further practiced by utilizing a carton top that has extending portions extending downwardly from the closed sides thereof, supplying glue to the extension portions, and then bending over the extension portions so that they engage and seal with the carton bottom, preferably the lowest surface of the carton bottom bottom panel, so as to provide a lifting space facilitating lifting of the carton.
The invention also comprises particular automatic apparatus for practicing the method as set forth above. The apparatus comprises the following elements: Means for providing a cardboard carton bottom over a stack of paper so that the open top of the carton bottom faces downwardly. Means for rotating the carton bottom with paper stacked therein approximately 180.degree. about a horizontal axis so that the open top of the carton bottom faces upwardly. And means for securing a covering on the carton bottom so that the paper is held within the carton bottom.
The means for rotating preferably comprises a substantially U-shaped continuous belt conveyor mounted for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis so that it can be pivoted from a first position in which a first leg of the U is horizontal and at the bottom, to a position in which the second leg of the U is horizontal and at the bottom. There also is preferably provided means for conveying the carton bottom with a stack of paper therein from the rotating means to the covering and securing means. The covering securing means may comprise means for moving a cardboard carton top having an open bottom with respect to the carton bottom having a stack of paper therein and an open top so that the carton too covers the carton bottom, and means for securing the carton top to the carton bottom. The means for providing a cardboard carton bottom over a stack of paper may comprise a vacuum gripper mounted for pivotal motion about a horizontal axis, and mounted for reciprocatory movement in a vertical dimension. A conveying means may be provided for conveying the carton bottom over a stack of paper from the vacuum gripper means to the rotating means. And, the means for providing the cardboard carton bottom over a stack of paper may comprise means for placing a blank cardboard carton bottom on the top of said stack of papers, and means for deforming the cardboard carton blank over the stack of papers so that the carton bottom is formed over the stack.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide for the simple yet effective delivery of paper for users of high speed page printers and office copiers, particularly cut sheets. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.